cut benefits and make all those incompetant bankers live at reduced benefit level for a couple of years . Then ask someone who left school at 15 worked in industry for years, put on the scrap heap struggled on temp jobs then regarded as too old - Pearlman never worked til he was 22 spoilt brat

Alec, Wrexham, UK

Perhaps NUlabour will be looking for work after the next election
But, who would employ them ????

graham, Swansea, UK

I was a single parent when my daughter was born and went back to work when she was 8 eight weeks old; tough choice to make I wasn't particularly even skilled, working for a temping agency doing secretarial / reception work. No excuse to lard it around expecting handouts.

sarah, Coventry, West Midlands

To do this at any time is unfair but in the middle of a recession. Five very able bodied people I know cant get work, two are in Temporary jobs, and one is in a low paid job well below their abilities. Its just right wing delusional politics. In the USA 15 million homes are dependant on food aid!!!

James, Brighton, England

I Used to work for the home office for a crime prevention unit and it was clear that unsupervised young people were those most liable to being criminally active or the victims of crime.

by forcing single parents into work (assuming there are jobs to be had) will increase crime rates enormously.

Mike FW, Porth, UK

I already live in poverty. Does this mean if nobody will employ me my benefit will be cut? I'm already skipping meals so that my kids don't go without. Nobody chooses this "cushy life" but it appears that people will still judge and blame the most vulnerable. These changes are delusional.

Sandy, Bristol, UK

If secondary school hours at least matched the possible working day of parents it would go a long way to making the return to employment easier

As if stands children leave school mid-afternoon - encouraging teenagers to roam the streets with their mates until parents return home from work

Eleanor, Hants, uk

It is not ideal for young children to be taken to school very early, be collected from an aftercare club at 6 pm or later, be taken home by an exhausted mother who has to then cook dinner, bath the children, supervise homework, etc. A dreadful life for them all, and much social damage will result.

Margaret, Ealing, UK

Why do people want to harm such families? It is to society's advantage for mums to care for their own children. Getting them into work (paid or voluntary), and preventing them looking after their own children, helps no-one, especially not the innocent children. Such mothers are not all spongers!

Margaret, Ealing, UK

Plenty of annoying jobs around my house and garden that such people could do. How about giving me a tax break on their wages so I can pay them to do some cleaning and gardening? Seems like a pretty good way to get their benefits bill down BUT of course where would the public sector get their cut?

Rose, Stirling, UK

Key word is could. We've thrown gobs of money at these people and seen no improvement in their motivation to find work. The only thing left is to remove the cushy lives they have, maybe that will be all the motivation they need.

Andy D, Manchester,

But don't forget, who's going to look after all the children of those lone parents when they shuffle off to work in the morning?

Josephine, Wonthaggi, Australia

Nothing is going to change - the welfare bill(£169bn) will still go up.

Mehtab, New Southgate,